When pondering ways to commemorate his upcoming 40th birthday, Brian wanted to combine his love of the outdoors, interest in geography and mapping, and bicycle riding

A BRIEF BIOGRAPHY of BRIAN and JOAN KAPLAN

When pondering ways to commemorate his impending 40^th birthday, Brian wanted to combine his love of the outdoors, interest in geography and mapping, and bicycle riding. The idea of a cross-country bicycle ride came to mind. Wanting to add more meaning to the ride, he chose to use the ride as an opportunity to draw attention and raise funds for a cause that is close to his heart, the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill.

One of Brian's family members is mentally ill and is currently in a State Mental Hospital in the Midwest. The family struggled with the effects of the illness for years. Brian discovered the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI). After receiving help from a local chapter in Atlanta, Brian wanted to help promote the organization to help other families who are also coping with mental illness.

Brian was born in Chicago, Illinois on September 2, 1959 and attended Peterson Elementary School and Von Steuben High School. Growing up in Chicago, he rode his bike on the Chicago Lake Front Path lake and the North Branch Trail many times. The lake was about 1/2 hour by bike from his house.

At the University of Illinois in Champaign/Urbana, Brian received a B.S. in Ecology and a M.S. in Environmental Engineering at the Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago. He relocated to Atlanta, GA in 1986 with PRC Environmental Management Inc., now part of TetraTech. He is currently working on a M.A. in Geography at Georgia State University.

In Brian's spare time, he is an Environmental Health Scientist for the Agency for Toxic Substance and Disease Registry, an organization affiliated with the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. In the past, he also worked for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as an Environmental Scientist from 1991 to 1996. Besides biking, Brian's other interests include swimming, woodworking, and computers. In the past, he was active with the Sierra Club promoting conservation.

He is married to Joan Farbstein Kaplan who will drive the "sag wagon" during their cross country adventure. Joan was raised in Chesterfield, Missouri, a suburb of St. Louis, attended River Bend Elementary School and Parkway Central High School. After Joan earned a B.S. in Marketing at Bradley University in Peoria, Illinois in 1984, she moved to Louisville, Kentucky and in 1989 moved to Atlanta where she met her soon-to-be husband on a blind date! She currently is employed at Delta Airlines as a Customer Service Agent where she nurtures her love of travel and adventure. Joan spends her free time rehabbing homes, dabbling in the stock market and working out. On an annual basis, Joan is a coordinator for one month at a homeless shelter for women.

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